Former Conservative cabinet minister, Rory Stewart, is currently in the running for the job as Mayor of London. However, over the summer, when campaigning to become prime minister, he appeared to make a racial comment. Rory, the former tutor of Prince Harry, made a trip to East London where the encounter happened.

Hare Squead consist of rappers Lilo Blues and Tony Konstone along with singer Jessy Rose. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, the group emerged in 2014 and have released a handful of singles including ‘Zoo of the New’ and ‘Bop with It’. Later, Hare Squead signed with Columbia and released ‘If I Ask’.

Rory Stewart Learns About Politics Being Out Of Touch

The encounter with the three Irish musicians was filmed for the Rory Stewart campaign. He said, “So you’re all from Ireland. Great, fantastic. How long have you been here for?” But one of the men cuts in to ask what the purpose of recording was. To which Rory replies, “I’m a politician, I’m standing to be Prime Minister. I’m going around meeting people, seeing what they’re up to.” Realizing Rory was a politician, one member said, “I don’t f*** with politics, man”, adding, “World peace bro.”

Although happening in the summer, recent comments at an event in London’s Emmanuel Centre has left Rory Stewart branded a racist. The MP said, “One thing about social media is that it allows people to see politicians listening. I can go to Brick Lane and three sort of minor gangsters can come up to me and spend a minute telling me I’m an idiot, film it on my phone and put it up. People love watching people being rude to politicians.”

Hare Squead

In a statement to Irish media, Hare Squead said, “We walked away from him, not just because we aren’t actively engaged in politics, but also because we knew he was just trying to use us. For him to turn around now and call us minor gangsters just adds insult to injury. It definitely comes from a racist place. We’ve always made positive music, mostly love songs.”

Rory apologized over Twitter describing it as a ‘light-hearted encounter’ and that he’s ‘really sorry for causing offence’.